Windsor Star staffers win pair of provincial awards
Multimedia series on opioid crisis chosen as top entry for special projects
Windsor Star reporters and photographers were honoured Saturday with a pair of awards for their work in special projects and spot news photography at Saturday’s Ontario Newspaper Awards in Toronto.
A multimedia series on the effect of the opioid crisis locally was selected the top entry in special projects.
Working on the series were reporters Trevor Wilhelm, Craig Pearson and Brian Cross, and photographers Dan Janisse, Dax Melmer, Jason Kryk and Tyler Brownbridge, assistant managing editor, digital.
In making their selection, the judges lauded the entry for the wide variety of journalistic tools employed in putting together the series. The Windsor Star’s editor in chief Ellen van Wageningen said the painkillers series highlights the value of great journalism to the community.
“This team of reporters, photographers and editors made a difference with their determined digging, compelling stories and powerful visuals,” she said. Veteran Star photographer Nick Brancaccio, who won his first ONA in 1981, claimed the spots news category for papers with a circulation over 25,000. Brancaccio’s winning photo was of two Windsor Police officers arresting a suspect after a tense standoff on a front lawn. “Nick Brancaccio’s passion for capturing the news with his lens never wavers,” van Wageningen said.
“This riveting photo is a perfect example.”